After Newton's comments, the quarterback proceeded to answer Rodrigue's question.

Carolina spokesman Steven Drummond said in a statement to The Associated Press that Newton had a conversation with Rodrigue after the news conference ended and expressed regret for his remarks.

Rodrigue released a statement through The Charlotte Observer via email saying that Newton did not apologize when they spoke after the news conference.

She said she "was dismayed by his response, which not only belittled me but countless other women before me and beside me who work in similar jobs. I sought Mr. Newton out as he left the locker room a few minutes later. He did not apologize for his comments" (see full story).

Steelers: Brown apologizes for ‘all the noise’PITTSBURGH -- Antonio Brown is nearly getting as much practice at saying "I'm sorry" as he is at catching touchdowns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver apologized via Twitter on Wednesday for his sideline outburst early in his team's victory in Baltimore last Sunday. Brown broke free on Pittsburgh's second possession and was wide open down the left sideline.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn't see Brown and instead threw the ball short. Brown briefly lost his cool afterward, taking out his frustration on a Gatorade cooler in the process.

"Apologize for all the noise and the distractions Steeler nation let's stay focus," the All-Pro posted.

Roethlisberger described Brown's actions as a "temper tantrum" during the quarterback's weekly radio show and coach Mike Tomlin encouraged Brown to be "professional," though it hardly seemed to create any sort of rift in the team's locker room (see full story).

The Titans coach remains hopeful that Mariota will play despite a strained hamstring .

Mariota, who was hurt in last week's loss to Houston, was limited in practice, stretching and throwing passes during the open portion of the workouts on Wednesday. The quarterback did not speak with the media after practice.

"We didn't ask him to do very much, we were smart with him," Mularkey said. "We did what we thought he could do, and that wasn't very much, but enough. We're going to be smart with him; positive for what he had to do."

Mularkey says he would be comfortable playing the quarterback Sunday even without a full practice (see full story).

Colts: Luck faces limitations after returning to practiceINDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Luck put on his familiar red No. 12 jersey, trotted onto the practice field and got back into his normal Wednesday routine.

A little stretching, a little footwork, even a little throwing.

Even he figured it's about time.

After missing all of the Indianapolis Colts' offseason workouts, all of training camp, all of the preseason and Indy's first four regular-season games, the Colts' quarterback made his long-awaited appearance on the practice field.

"It was fun to be back on the field and put on a jersey and a helmet and get to go out there and throw a couple passes with the guys," Luck said in his first comments since July 29 (see full story).

Packers: Adams back at practice after taking bit hitGREEN BAY, Wis. -- Receiver Davante Adams was back on his feet, in uniform, bouncing around the practice field and joking with teammates.

It was a welcome sight for the Green Bay Packers.

Adams returned to practice Wednesday after absorbing a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan that led to the receiver being carted off the field on a stretcher.

Adams was taken to a hospital for evaluation after being knocked out of the game on Sept. 28 and was released the next day. Adams is in the concussion protocol, though his return to practice on a limited basis is a good sign.

"I'm just glad to see him walking again, more importantly," receiver Randall Cobb said. "When I went to the hospital and saw him the other night he was back to his normal self, joking around, trying to break out of the hospital. I'm just glad to see him in good health" (see full story).

NFL Notes: Raiders counting on E.J. Manuel with Derek Carr out

NFL Notes: Raiders counting on E.J. Manuel with Derek Carr out

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders' season was derailed last year as soon as star quarterback Derek Carr went down with a broken leg in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

The Raiders' ability to survive with E.J. Manuel under center instead of Carr this year will determine whether they will still be in playoff contention after he returns from a back injury that could sideline him between two and six weeks.

One big difference is the Raiders have a more capable backup in Manuel this season after Matt McGloin and Connor Cook were unable to get anything going in a regular-season loss last year at Denver that cost Oakland the division title and then a playoff loss in Houston.

Manuel, a first-round pick by Buffalo in 2013, comes in with more talent and experience than those two and showed signs in the second half of last week's 16-10 loss at Denver that he might be able to move the offense when the Raiders (2-2) host Baltimore on Sunday in the first of three straight home games.

"E.J. is a star in this league," receiver Cordarrelle Patterson said Tuesday. "He's played for a long time and got drafted high in the first round for a reason. We all know what E.J. can do. We're not impressed with the things he did on Sunday. We've seen that each and every day in practice. When the time comes, we know he's ready with all the work he's put in and the extra time. That's what quarterbacks do" (see full story).

Steelers: Team wants Brown to quiet sideline anticsPITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin understands Antonio Brown's competitiveness is what helps make Brown one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach just wishes his star would do a better job of channeling it properly when things don't go Brown's way.

Tomlin mildly chastised Brown for a brief sideline eruption during last Sunday's 26-9 victory over Baltimore.

Brown took his frustrations out on a water cooler after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger failed to see Brown running free down the sideline in the second quarter. Roethlisberger instead threw an incomplete pass intended for Le'Veon Bell.

Tomlin didn't see Brown's initial outburst and while he gets Brown's anger, he'd prefer Brown find more productive ways to work through it.

"AB is a competitor," Tomlin said Tuesday. "He has to control it. If he doesn't it can work against him and it can work against us. .. It doesn't need to happen. It shouldn't happen" (see full story).

Adams was taken off the field on a stretcher in the third quarter Thursday night after getting hit in the head during a tackle by Trevathan. The game was delayed for about 5 minutes while medical personnel tended to Adams. He tweeted Friday that he was at home and "feeling great."

Trevathan was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty following Adams' 8-yard catch but was not ejected. He is eligible to return following Chicago's game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

Titans: Weeden signed with Mariota ailingNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are adding Brandon Weeden to the roster as a third quarterback with Marcus Mariota recovering from a strained hamstring.

The Titans announced the move Tuesday. Coach Mike Mularkey says Mariota is day to day after hurting his hamstring in a 57-14 loss to the Texans.

Matt Cassel is Mariota's backup, and now the Titans (2-2) have someone in Weeden who has started 25 of his 34 NFL games. The 22nd pick overall in 2012, Weeden has started for Cleveland, Dallas and Houston; the Texans released him Sept. 2 in their final cuts. The 6-foot-3 Weeden has thrown for 6,452 yards with 31 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

He also spoke about a couple of the hot button issues from his days with the Eagles. Those were the days before Carson Wentz was the quarterback in Philly so the Birds were always in search of a franchise quarterback.

"It is the most important position on a football team," Kelly said of the quarterback position. "When you have a good one, everybody else becomes a better player."

"That’s why everybody is always looking for the next great one."

Perhaps the Eagles' most hyped hypothetical from the Chip era was the inability to trade up to get Marcus Mariota from the Tennessee Titans in 2013. Schefter asked Chip if there was anything they could have done differently to land Mariota in Philly.

"No," Chip said. "From all the conversations with Tennessee, they weren’t moving off the pick. Rightly so. They were looking for the same thing to get themselves a really top quality quarterback. We didn’t really get into a conversation about what we could or couldn’t offer.

"We didn’t offer anything because they weren’t taking any offers for it. I would have loved to coach him."

A couple of other areas of interest to Philly fans:

On night Shady got traded

"That was one of those deals where the trade had been initiated but not approved yet from the league. Before anything ever got approved, we weren’t going to say or comment or do anything in that situation. Then obviously the story got out before we ever had a chance to communicate with the guys being traded. I never got the chance to talk to LeSean before he got traded. I always say that’s on us."

Is Chip done with coaching? Could he see return to coaching?

"I’m excited about what I’m going to do for ESPN then I’m going to see what happens after that. I don’t have any set plans how long I’m going to do anything. We all like to think we have control of our lives but we really don’t. The unknown really keeps you going. It gives you a little bit of energy, a little bit of juice. I know what I’m going to be doing in the fall. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing after that."

On the Running of the Bulls in Spain

"Everybody is dressed the same. You usually have a white t-shirt and a red bandana. When I was in the ring for maybe 20 minutes, it was hot, I'm trying to figure out how many bulls are left. I'm ready for this thing to end. Out of the corner of my eye, in the middle of Pamplona, Spain, I saw a guy in a Tim Tebow jersey in the middle of the ring. I decided to stay near him. No bull was going to go near Tim Tebow, so no bull is going to go near me."